Ex-Warwick coach Juan Jackson is back home and back in the game in North Carolina

Dave Johnson, djohnson@dailypress.com

The exit was unexpected, by him and pretty much everyone else. In four years as Warwick’s head football coach, Juan Jackson had taken the Raiders to the playoffs three times.

Yet as much as the dismissal stung, Jackson knew he would bounce back. Not only was he right about that, he also came home as the assistant head coach at Nash Central High in Rocky Mount, N.C.

“I knew I’d get back in it and that an opportunity would present itself,” said Jackson, who also is the head track coach at Central. “I knew with my background and experience, it would be a matter of time.”

Time became immediate. Jackson, who went 22-21 from 2009-12 with Warwick, had three quick offers: Two from high schools in Charlotte, and one from Nash Central. He was more intrigued by one in Charlotte, but Central was closer to his hometown of Wilson, N.C.

Jackson’s mother and grandmother live in Wilson, and both have health issues. With no siblings, he lives 10 minutes away and can help drive them to the doctor when needed. He’s also about 30 minutes from the school.

His first season on Kevin Crudup’s staff at Nash Central was a challenge. With a young roster — more than half of the 2012 roster had graduated — the Bulldogs finished 0-11. Two of the losses were by a touchdown, and only three were by more than 21 points.

“We were in every game except for two when we got beat by teams that were dominant,” said Jackson, who played at Wilson Hunt High in the 1980s. “We were so young and so outmanned that we gave up those games with big plays. But mistakes and miscues cost us six ballgames.”

At Warwick, Jackson became used to success. He took over for Stan Sexton in 2009 and coached the Raiders to a 6-5 record, which included a 24-21 win against Hampton — the program’s first in the series since 1965. Warwick made the playoffs in each of his first three seasons, though it lost in the first round each time.

In 2012, the Raiders slipped to a 4-6 finish. Injuries played a huge role: Cardon Johnson, a two-time 1,000-yard back, sustained a neck injury in the first quarter of the fourth game and never returned. Quarterback Josh Butler missed some time with a sprained knee.

For the first time since 2007, Warwick missed the playoffs. Jackson said he never heard any rumblings about his job security. Not, that is, until nearly four months after the season had ended. On that day, he was told he would not be returning as head coach.

Jackson was caught off guard. But 17 months later, he has moved on.

“I loved the kids there and I’m still in contact with the majority of them,” Jackson said. “And a lot of my old (assistant) coaches, I’m in contact with them even though everybody has spread out. I have no bitter feelings in regard to my tenure at Warwick. I had some good times there.”Johnson can be reached at 757-247-4649.